Story by Gabby UrendaWhen I tell people that I hold my office hours inside of the Casanova Center at Autzen Stadium and at the Matthew Knight Arena, the first thing they ask me is, “Can I come?”  

Multimedia Journalism Master’s students get to the bottom of a Forest Service map that shows Portland as a toxic-air hotspot.

Story by Margaret Connors Photos by Polly Irungu Graphics by Karly DeWees I vividly remember taking The Creative Strategist my first year as a declared advertising major. I’d heard so much about it from other students, but I still didn’t know quite what to expect. Everyone who had taken it seemed to have a different outlook, a different side to the story about the class. But all their perspectives had one thing in common: sheer excitement and fervency about taking their first steps into the intensive upper-division courses in the SOJC.

Story by Carleigh OethPhoto by Karly DeWeesOne thing has really stuck with me from the beginning of my studies in the UO School of Journalism and Communication: I’ve been told repeatedly — and by multiple professors — that experience is what will get you far, at least farther than grades alone. This terrified me. But it also invigorated me, because like many students, I’ve always despised sitting in classrooms. The SOJC places an emphasis on spending time in the field to perfect your craft, and I was ready to live by this.

Story, video and photos by Ryan Lund If there is one thing I learned this summer, it’s that you need to take chances and follow your gut, whether it tells you to take a job, start a relationship or accept an invite out of the blue to go to Alaska. The prospect might be scary, but you’ll never know what’s on the other side if you don’t climb up.